Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-01
DISCUSSING PROHIBITION.
Wines and Liquors as Medicine and as q
Beverage.
WASHINGTON, D. Q, June p, lS6

| DlttOn, pu0llshed IN the National RspuO-
licar, of this city, several months ago
Very respectfully yours,
JOHN GEORGE HERTwIG.
Editor National Republican: The United
States Is probably the only civilized
country of the globe where the question
of prohibition is being agitated at the
present day. Being thoroughly free as to
its public Institutions, this country also
naturally aims at the highest civilization,
because freedom and education of right
!, are and always will be true and insepars-
BILE companions. But is prohibition
demanded by civilization and in harmony
with the fundamental laws of this
country granting and guaranteeing to
to every American the full enjoyment of
his natural rights? The following lines,
which l beg leave to offer you for pub-
LEGATION in your valuable newspaper,
Will be devoted 20 an answer to this
| question:
Prohibition means the enactment of
laws forbidding the manufacture and sale
of spirituous beverages, as wine, beer,
whisky, and so forth, and enforcing total
abstinence from such Beverages, except
for medical purposes.
The beverages named are products of
civilization, having been invented and
being manufactured and used by civilized
nations. 1t is well known fact, that in
the Old World the nations using those
beverages are intellectually brighter and
rank higher in their achievements as TO
civilization than the nations do that are
not using them. Poets represent the
highest type of the civilization of q
nation. Butthe noblest and most famous
poets OF ell ages and of the most civ
ilized nations were praising wine, because
it physically benefited them. From this
fact il IS also to be seen that wine issthe
spirituous beverage, outranking all the
others as 10 their value and usefulness
for the human system.
The declaration CT independence is the
original fundamental law of the United
States. 1t was agreed upon and promul-
gated to the world by the Continental
Congress, competent law-giving body,
and it, by q categorical dictum, having
the form and character of fundamental
law, has created this country as one CT
the political divisions of the earth, This
fundamental law recognizes for this
country the natural rights of man. 1t
says: owe hold these truths to be self
evident-that all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inslienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty, and the
pursuit Of happiness; that to secure
these rights governments are instituted
among men, deriving their Just powers
from the consent of the governed
Everybody knows that mans happiness,
more or legs, depends upon his physical
well-being. Again, his physical we'll
being greatly depends upon what he eats
and drinks. Every man therefore, il this
country, has an inslienable right to
pursue his happiness by eating and
drinking, according to his own taste,
what he pleases, provided his means al
low him to do so. Thus it will be seen
that any law of any state Of the Union
preventing 8 man from drinking what
physically benefits him is violation of
his natural rights, the en- oyment of which
is granted and guaranteed him by the
Declaration Of Independence. SpiTituous
beverages, like other beverages, are moth
ing but liquid food. Common sense,
therefore, teaches that they should be
used only to nourish and to refresh, and
not, by dissipation, to ruin the human
body. As well, however, as the Prohibi-
zionist has natural right to refresh him
self by drinking cold, fresh water (salt
water being, of course, out Of the qUes-
tom, the non-Prohibitionist has natural
right to do so by drinking any spirituous
beverage suiting his taste. This, at least,
seems to be the idea of the Declaration
of Independence, and also of the consti
tuition of the United States.
The latter, in its preamble, says: ave,
the people of the United States, in order
to form 8 more perfect union, establish
Justice, insure domestic tranquility, pro.
vide for the common defense, promote
the general welfare, and secure che bless
ings of liberty to ourselves and our pos
terity, do ordain and establish this con-
stitution for the United States.of Ameri-
ca" Any American, therefore, drinking
spirituous beverages, to be physically
benefited thereby, makes use of the per-
sonal or individual liberty granted and
guaranteed him by this fundamental laws
Prohibitory laws of this country forbid
only the manufacture and sale of spiritu-
Gus beverages. But this prohibition in
cludes also prohibition of their use.
Where such beverages are neither manu-
featured nor sold they, Is a rule, can also
not be drunk. Prohibitory laws of this
country permit the use of spirltu )uslbev-
erages as medicines when prescribed by
physicians and bought at drug stores. |
But in this Gland of the free and home
of the brave" every man is entitled to be
as well his own doctor as his own law
yer or his own clergyman. and to pur-
chase his medicines wherever he chooses, |
and not only at registered drug stores /
That clause, therefore, renders pro- I
hibitory law either twice wrong or ludi- |
crous.
Spirituous beverages are frequently |
called intoxicsnts. Every one Of them,
it is true, contains alcohol and Is intoXi-
eating if used to excess. But none of !
them is so By itself. They all contain
more or less water, which, as matter OF /
course, is not Intoxicating. It has never
been proved that spirituous beverages
decently and sensibly used, and, if of
good and pure quality, are injurious to
the health OF man or poisonous. On the
the men using them in proper
manner claim to be physically benefited
oy the same. 1t must be said, however,
hat cold fresh water is the cheapest and
1eslthiest of all beverages.
If anywhere, in this free country,
nan is entitled to use the gifts of nature
or his own benefit or for that of others,
Is he sees fit and chooses. He has nat
lrsI right to manufacture wines Of grapes,
,eer of barley and hops, whisky Of corn
n rye, etc. He has also an insliensble (
light either to use those beverages him !
elf or to give them away gratuitously or
o sell them. These rights follow from
he passages quoted OF the Declaration of